2023 drug-poisoning death numbers surpass 2022 total: data
According to the latest data released by the province, 140 Albertans died from drug-poisoning in November 2023, bringing the year’s total to 1,841.
When comparing only the first 11 months of the year, 2023 has a higher number of deaths than any year prior.
According to the Alberta Substance Use Surveillance System (ASUSS) with 1,841 deaths so far, 2023 has surpassed the yearly total for 2022 by more than 100. So far, last year had 34 fewer deaths than 2021 which was the highest year on record with 1,875. Data for December 2023 has not yet been released by the province.
Of the 140 newly reported deaths, 138, or 99 per cent, involved opioids. All but 135 of the 1,841 drug-poisoning deaths reported in Alberta during 2023 did not involve opioids.
Based on reports done on more than 924 people who died of accidental drug-poisoning last year, fentanyl was present in 80 per cent of deaths, methamphetamine in 63 per cent and carfentanil in 24 per cent. In Edmonton, when analyzing 586 deaths, those numbers were even higher with fentanyl present in 84 per cent of deaths, methamphetamine in 66 per cent and carfentanil in 34 per cent.
The age group with the highest number of drug-poisonings in 2023 was the 35- to 39-year-old demographic with 313 deaths. Sixty-nine per cent of those were male.
From a geographical standpoint, 50 of November's 140 deaths were in Edmonton, 41 were in Calgary and the other 49 occurred elsewhere in the province.
Of the more than 1,800 drug-poisoning deaths reported in 2023 thus far, 36 per cent have occurred in Edmonton and 33 per cent in Calgary.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.